Harvard Online Policies and Information

Learn more about our course policies, accommodations, and discounts.

Learning Requirements

Course Platform Certificate of Completion Programs

Participants are expected to complete all work on the course platform in English in a thoughtful and timely manner. FFor most programs, it is recommended that learners make the suggested deadlines each week to complete a module and fully answer the questions posed therein. This helps ensure that your cohort proceeds through the course at a similar pace and can take full advantage of social learning opportunities. A module is composed of a series of elements, such as faculty videos, simulations, reflections, and quizzes, designed to impart the learnings of the program.

In addition to completing modules and assignments, learners are expected to participate in the social learning elements of the program by offering feedback on others’ reflections and contributing to conversations on the platform. Participants who fail to complete the program requirements will not receive a certificate and will not be eligible to retake the program.

Program Evaluation

Your mastery of program materials will be assessed based on your coursework and the quality and extent of your participation. All coursework must be completed in English.

More detailed information on individual program requirements will be communicated at the start of the program. No grades are assigned for course platform certificate of completion programs. Participants will be evaluated as either complete or not complete.

Accessibility and Accomodations

What are accomodations?
Accommodations are adjustments and modifications that provide participants with disabilities equal access to courses and programs. However, accommodations do not guarantee an outcome or a level of achievement. Accommodations also do not apply to non-disability related circumstances such as work conflicts, vacations, or family commitments.
What is the accomodations request process?
Participants are responsible for disclosing the need for accommodations in each course by completing an Online Accommodation Request Form as early as possible. Individualized accommodations are then determined through a collaborative process that takes into account self-reports, available supporting documentation, and academic requirements of the specific course. Requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This request process applies only to Harvard Online course offerings. If you have any questions about the accommodations process, please contact harvardonline_accommodations@harvard.edu.
PLEASE NOTE: Early and active communication is required, as late notification may result in a delay or inability to fulfill a request.
What type of supporting documentation is accepted?
The Harvard Online Accommodations team will review any relevant supporting documentation. However, the documentation must be in English or include a notarized English translation. Please also remove any social security numbers or other unrelated sensitive information.
The following are general documentation guidelines, for your reference:
- Documentation presents a clear assessment of the disability or condition by a licensed provider with firsthand knowledge and relevant credentials.
- Documentation is signed and on letterhead from the licensed treatment provider. Please note that forms and templates from other institutions may require supplemental information.
- Documentation is current, preferably within three years. (The age of the documentation may also depend on the nature of the disability and the specific accommodation requested.)
- Documentation provides a statement of the functional impact and limitations of the disability or condition on major life activities. When applicable, it also outlines a prognosis of the symptoms over time and in context.
- Documentation lists recommended accommodations with an explanation of the relevance of each to the diagnosed disability or condition.

Changing Your Course Status

We understand that your plans to join a Harvard Online course may change. Depending on your course, we offer the opportunity to shift your admission, defer your enrollment, or withdraw from our offerings. Some additional policies apply if you are company sponsored, so please review those details if they apply to you.

For Learners in a Corporate Training Program

You may not defer or receive a refund if you are a company-sponsored participant enrolled in a course through your employer. If you wish to withdraw, please contact the appropriate representative at your company and they will inform Harvard Online. These restrictions do not apply if you have paid for the program yourself and plan to request employer reimbursement—in this case you are still eligible for deferrals and refunds.

For Learners in Harvard Online Certificate Programs

Deferring Your Enrollment
For most Harvard Online courses, once you have enrolled and paid for a course, you may request a deferral of your enrollment by submitting a request to the Harvard Online Support Portal.
PLEASE NOTE: On-Demand courses are not eligible for enrollment deferrals.
If a course is eligible for deferral, you may defer your enrollment to a later offering of the same course, subject to the following policies.
You may request an enrollment deferral at any time before your course starts, and up to 7 calendar days after the start of your course. Note that you will need to start the course over after deferring—no work you have completed will transfer to the later offering.
You must defer to one of the next open offerings of the course in which you are enrolled. A list of upcoming offerings may be found on the course's page on our website.
You may only defer once. If you have previously deferred, you will not be eligible for an additional deferral or a refund. For this reason, please consider requesting a refund if your course has not started and you are uncertain about joining a later offering.
Withdrawals and Refunds
After enrolling in most Harvard Online courses, you may request a withdrawal with a refund up until 24 hours after the start of your course. Please note, this is 24 hours after the course materials become available, not after you log in. We encourage you to log in to your course as soon as it starts to confirm it will be a good fit for your learning needs. To request a withdrawal with refund, submit a request through the Harvard Online Support Portal.
PLEASE NOTE: On-Demand courses are not eligible for withdrawal with a refund.
After you have requested your withdrawal with refund, we will return funds to the original payment method used during enrollment, minus a $100 non-refundable administrative processing fee.
You may request a withdrawal without refund if you have completed less than half of your course. Withdrawing will allow you to enroll and pay for a future course offering.

Policy Exceptions

We understand that unexpected life events happen. Harvard Online may make exceptions to our deadline, deferral, enrollment, and withdrawal policies on a case-by-case basis.

Extreme life circumstances include, but are not limited to:

Unexpected medical situation for you or a dependent
Death of a family member
Natural disaster or other large-scale event

Early and active communication is essential to help us support you during your life event. We expect you to make every reasonable effort to reach out to us via the Harvard Online Support Portal within two weeks of your life event. Regardless of circumstances, no requests submitted more than 60 days from the final deadline of your course will be considered. To the extent you can do so, we encourage you to continue your coursework while any exception request is under review.

Participants who are currently enrolled in a course and wish to submit an exception request or appeal may refer to the relevant reference pages about exceptions for additional information.

When communicating with Harvard Online, please understand that the nature of online learning means that your message to us may not be read immediately, and that we are not able to respond to personal emergency situations. If you are in distress or are experiencing a personal emergency, please reach out to local resources or to emergency responders in your area.

Discounts

Past Harvard Online Participant Discounts

Participants who have enrolled in at least one qualifying Harvard Online course, from the list below, are eligible to receive a 30% Past Participant Discount on each subsequent qualifying Harvard Online course enrollment, regardless of completion or certificate status in the first purchased course. The discount is NOT valid for the first purchased course. Participants become eligible for the discount after the withdrawal deadline passes (24 hours after the start of a course*) for their first purchased course.

Past Participant Pricing requires participants to be logged in during enrollment and is automatically applied. Past Participant pricing is not available after submitting payment, so if you think you're eligible for Past Participant Pricing upon enrollment, please review this Past Participant Pricing policy in detail before you submit any payment.

Adaptive Leadership
Big Data for Social Good
Data Science for Business
Data Science Principles
Data Privacy and Technology
Digital Health
Financial Analysis and Valuation for Lawyers
Health Care Economics
Health Care Strategy
Innovations for Teamwork in Health Care
Open Innovation
Outsmarting Implicit Bias
Make Better Decisions: The Psychology of Blind Spots for Leaders and Teams
Reducing Racial Disparities in Health Care
Strategy Execution for Public Leadership

This discount may not be combined with other scholarships, financial aid, or other offers. Only one discount may be used per order. Participants deferring from discount-eligible cohorts to non-eligible cohorts will not retain the discount. Deferrals are subject to the standard program policies. You may not redeem this discount for cash, and the discount may not be transferred or sold. The discount is void where prohibited by law. These terms and conditions are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

*Please note, this is 24 hours after the course materials become available, not after you log in.

Past HarvardX Participant Discount

Learners who have earned a verified certificate for a HarvardX course hosted on the edX platform are eligible to receive a 30% discount on any of the qualifying programs listed above using a discount code.

Discounts are not available after you've submitted payment, so if you think you are eligible for a discount on a registration, please review this discount policy in detail before you submit any payment.

Harvard Online Discount Policy Details

Harvard Online discounts for courses may not be combined with other scholarships, financial aid, or other offers. Only one discount may be used per order. Participants who are enrolling in discount-eligible cohorts as part of a corporate learning package are NOT eligible for any discount. Participants deferring from discount-eligible cohorts to non-eligible cohorts will not retain the discount. Deferrals are subject to the standard Harvard Online program policies. You can’t redeem this discount for cash, and it can’t be transferred or sold. It’s void where prohibited by law. These terms and conditions are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Nonprofit, Government, Military, and Education Discounts

Most Harvard Online courses offer a 30% discount for learners who work in nonprofits, government, military, or education.

Eligibility for nonprofit, government, and education discounts is determined by a prospective learner’s email address, ending in .org, .gov, .mil, or .edu. Interested learners can apply below for the discount and, if eligible, will receive a promo code to enter when completing payment information to enroll in a Harvard Online course.

At this time, the discount is for 30% off of the Course Fee for the courses listed below. Offer terms are subject to change.